Cty Animal Shelter vs. Pvt. Rescue group (labs, golden retrievers, housebreak)
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Just recently, my sister went through a private rescue and it was worse than adopting a real kid! They first filled out the adoption paperwork, and were background checked. Next, they had to go to the foster home where this little guy was staying and meet the foster parents and the dog. Next, they had to go through a home visit and finally they got approved. Last I talked with my sister, she was moving furniture around to make her home look more "doggie safe" prior to this home visit. Did they get to adopt this little guy...yes for $300.00 and he is not quite a year old and not even a pure bred!!
Keep looking in the city shelters...you can find some awesome little dogs there! Good Luck
Good advice. I know i'll get flamed for saying this, but i've found the rescue groups to be a little too extremist. Lots of kooks that seem to have lost sight of the fact that these are animals that need placement, not children.
I've been through the same ordeal but I think that the shelter dogs need you more! Also, because there have been so many foreclosures and economic problems many purebred dogs have been left at shelters so you can even get a purebred dog at a shelter now.
If you want a particular breed you can ask them to contact you when one arrives. You might have to wait but it can be worth the wait.
An advantage to shelter is that many will provide medical care at reduced rates to you years after you've adopted your dog and that can save you money in the long run.
It's kind of like here. Our adoption fee is $150 and that covers the micro chip, neuter, and they are up to date on shots. That $150 usually never covers the cost of each dog, but that is why we're a non profit. Lol
While the city pound charges $95, but they are not utd on shots, usually not neutered, and most of the time come sick. I'd much rather spend that $55 to get a healthy socialized dog.
Our rescues around here charge up to $400 for a dog. I think $150 for a dog that is RTG (ready to go) is a good deal. Plus you can talk to the foster mom and get an idea of the animal's personality.
I've been through the same ordeal but I think that the shelter dogs need you more!
This is true, but keep in mind, many of the rescue groups pull dogs from the same shelters and rehabilitate them. Just look at all the work Teddie has put into her foster dog Velma.
Good advice. I know i'll get flamed for saying this, but i've found the rescue groups to be a little too extremist. Lots of kooks that seem to have lost sight of the fact that these are animals that need placement, not children.
Sometimes I read the ads in the Pet section of my local craigslist. I'm amazed at how angry the posted reaction is when someone is trying to rehome a purebred puppy or young dog that didn't work out. And I feel that these angry posts are being made by people belonging to rescue groups. On one hand, they don't want anyone giving away free puppies and dogs, as they get scooped up to be resold or much worst, sold to laboratories. So it seems that the acceptable rehoming fee on craigslist is around $150 to $250, and the younger the dog and if it's a purebred the higher its value. And if someone is trying to rehome a puppy or young dog that originally cost $1200 from the breeder and they are looking for the best offer, or even half the original price, the haters come out in full force. For some reason, no matter if the dog cost over $1000, it's rehoming value is supposed to be only $150-$250.
And I think that attitude on craigslist very harsh. If I was looking at expensive purebred puppies, I wouldn't object to buying one of these secondhand purebreds for half price. I would feel terrible trying to take advantage of someone else's mistakes. And I wouldn't judge another person so harshly for not realizing how much time and effort a puppy needs. And it's not as if these people were trying to make a profit on their puppies, like a ticket scalper. Years ago when I was much younger and had good income coming in, I thought nothing of paying $800 for a pug puppy. And sure, now I'm spoiled by my free and $65 shelter dogs, who doesn't love a good bargain? But at the same time, I can understand the merits and value of a well bred purebred dog. And a pug breeder that I know, puts a lot of good effort into her pugs. She shows them and I know that when she has litters, she doesn't skimp on the veterinary attention. It isn't cheap breeding dogs properly and it's also very time consuming.
I know with the rescue that I got my terrier from, between the group leaders and the fostering families, there is a lot of free time given to their charges. If I ever win the lottery, there is a short list of rescue groups that I would write some generous checks out to. I guess what I am trying to say is, I respect everyone's budget and yardsticks of value, but don't hate on the more expensively priced rescued dogs or those owners that paid full price for their puppies and dogs that didn't work out.
Recently someone on craigslist wanted to rehome a dog because it was lazy. I spoke to the woman on the phone and she said, "We found the dog we want, a St. Bernard, so now we can get rid of this one. It's lazy and sleeps all day long like a cat, and I hate cats."
Recently someone on craigslist wanted to rehome a dog because it was lazy. I spoke to the woman on the phone and she said, "We found the dog we want, a St. Bernard, so now we can get rid of this one. It's lazy and sleeps all day long like a cat, and I hate cats."
That's sad, but if they were able to find a good home for that dog with people that would appreciate a dog that's a large couch potato, I can't hate on that woman. Many people don't know how to pick the right dog that will be a good fit for their lifestyle or expectations. One of my friends has an older Bull Mastiff that's a huge mellow couch potato. I'd never pick a dog like that for me, but that breed does have its human fans. And better a mellow big dog than a hyper big dog. And that's why so many young dogs end up in shelters. The cute puppies grew up into a hyper young adult that the owners didn't want.
I hope that St. Bernard ending up in a terrific forever home being loved, rather than staying in with this woman being despised.
They do everything the County shelter does but they charge $250 - $300 and they DO NOT include the spay/neutering in the fee
I think you should steer clear of any rescue organziation who is not giving you a spayed or neutered dog. If they "rescue" then they should know full well the problems of sending out unfixed animals, whether or not there's a promise or deposit on the surgery. In fact, in my state it's illegal.
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For some reason, no matter if the dog cost over $1000, it's rehoming value is supposed to be only $150-$250.
If you paid $1200 for a dog and you messed up royally, you can't expect to get a single cent back. It's not like returning a TV to Sears - save the receipt and expect the money back. There's no "rehoming value". $150-$250 is the cost, spread over a multitude of dogs, that helps offset the routine costs of readying the average dog for adoption. It has nothing to do with assigning a value to a dog, I don't care if it's a rare Hungarian Bouey-Touey, it has no more monetary value than the mangey mutt wandering the street. Both cost money to ready for adoption, and if they don't, there are all the other dogs the rescue is responsible for that they won't possibly come close to offsetting costs for.
If you paid $1200 for a dog and you messed up royally, you can't expect to get a single cent back. It's not like returning a TV to Sears - save the receipt and expect the money back. There's no "rehoming value". $150-$250 is the cost, spread over a multitude of dogs, that helps offset the routine costs of readying the average dog for adoption. It has nothing to do with assigning a value to a dog, I don't care if it's a rare Hungarian Bouey-Touey, it has no more monetary value than the mangey mutt wandering the street. Both cost money to ready for adoption, and if they don't, there are all the other dogs the rescue is responsible for that they won't possibly come close to offsetting costs for.
I guess that I feel differently. If I were in the market for a purebred pug, I might be willing to pay someone about half of the puppy's original cost from the breeder. Maybe they messed up, or maybe their living circumstances suddenly changed and they couldn't have a dog... but a well bred purebred dog if one is a fan of that breed still has a value that is worth paying for secondhand. I don't think that its value suddenly plummets to zero, especially if that puppy has been treated well, is UTD on its shots and housebroken etc... And in that case, that purebred dog is worth more than a mangey mutt rescued off the streets because it won't need expensive veterinary care, housebreaking and training. A shelter dog is more of an unknown quantity than getting someone's housepet. And I don't think that purebred rescues should be the only ones allowed to charge a couple hundred dollars for a rehoming fee.
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Shelter Dogs and Cats
